Buffer for use with wood paving.



.0.. T. VALLE.

BUFFER FOR USE WITH WOOD PAVING.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 13, 1910. I

' Patented June 4, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1. V/fw. WW

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Ami/vm G. T. VALLE." BUFFER FOR USE WITH WOOD ISAVIING. APPLIOATION-IILED MAY 13, 1910.

Patented June 4, 1912.

.2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

. o v .era Z\ Y GEORGES THEononE VALLE, or PARIS, FRANCE. 'l

l BUFFER FOR USE WITH WOOD PAVING. 4

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGES THoDoRE VALLE, a citizen of the Republic of France, and a resident of 5 Rue St. Ambroise, in the city of Paris, Republic of France, engineer,- "have invented a Buffer for Use with Wood Paving, of which the following isa full, clear, 'and eXact description.

It is .wellv known that the wood paving ofroadways exerts aconsiderable pressure on thecurbs of footpaths, both by reason of the i' swelling'ofthe wood, under the action of humidity,and of the sett-lingproduced by the passage of heavy vehicles.l .This pressure drives back, toward the interior of the footpaths, the stone curbs, so thatthe layer of bitumen or other surface on the footpath is displaced, which involves frequent repairs. Besides,the swelling of wood paving produces also undulations longitudinallyto the roadways which are the cause offrequent repairs. .'1 `he above disadvantages of woodpaving aire also seen on tramway tracks, by their modifying the normal spacing of the two rails, bending the curves as well as the junctions and switches. l

The present arrangement remedies the above disadvantages, by- 'taking up the thrusts which may be produced. This arrangement consists in a kind of buifer rigid in 011e direction and flexible in the other,

so as to resist the rolling of vehicles and to yield to the thrusts of the wood paving, by

. v placing it along the footpaths, 4across the roadway, against the tramway rails, in the middle vof the tracks and across the same.

The invention lwill be described by way of example in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows in cross section the present arrangement a plied between the curb of a footpath and 51e first longitudinal row of wooden paving blocks of the' roadway. Fig. 2 shows in plan view a` wood paved lroadway protected in the transverse and longitudinal direction by buffers. Fig. 3 shows in side elevation a detached buffer. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the buffer shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is an end view of the buffer illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4. Fig. 6 illustrates in cross section a roadway with tramway tracks protected by buffers. Fig. 7 is a plan view corresponding to Fig. 6. Fig. 8 shows in cross section and in use a modified form of buffer.

As shown in the drawing (Fig. 5) the Specication o1' Letters Patent. Application med may 1a, 1910. serial 1ra-561,117.

Patented June-.1, 19.12.

buffers entering in this arrangement, are

constituted by two sheet-iron shells a and a1 fitting in one another so that the two heads a2 a3 are diametrically opposite to each other. These buffers thus formed and placed edgewise, that is to say f with the cheeks a"l a5 in a vertical plane, have the advantage of'offering a great resistance to the crushing stress, under the Weight of vehicles. Moreover, the heads a2 aa ofthe shells are Adishe'd and this still contributes \to give the cheeks of the shells a certain rigidnessv in the vertical plane, while permitting these cheeks to come nearer together in the transverse direction, by yielding to-the thrust or pressure of the wood paving, so as to take up asitwere the effects resulting from this pressure. Each ofthese buffers A of a general prismatic quadrangular shape (Figs. 3, 4 and 5) constitutes an element and several elements are connected f' between them b tween lthe curbs c of the footpaths and the first longitudinal row of wooden paving blocks d, as illustrated in Figs'. 1 .and 2 `of the drawings. The same elements 4Inay'also be placed on one or more lines parallel te the axis of. the roadway and transverselyl thereto so as to divide the-paving into squares. Thus the small channels or slots which must generally be made in the said pavings are avoided. In the longitudinal direction of the roadway, the elements A may be of a relatively great length, while their length -is much smaller in the transverse direction so -that they may easily conform themselves, as the ordinary paving blocks, to the curve of the roadway. In the latter case, the buffers may be beveled, especi-ally when they are to be applied on curves of small radius. When the elements are to be placed along footpaths, one of their cheeks is Vertical onl the side. of the roadway and the other cheek is inclined toward the curb of the footpath, so as to conform itself to the inclination of this curb, as indicated in the drawings, Fig. l. All these elements may rest on a layer of concrete or of cement and may be applied to any kind of roadways, quays or any other wood paved surface.,

means ofan inner covering plate or col ar b introduced at one endbetween the 'two shells and then rivetedand inserted at the other end between the two shells of the following element. The elements A thus constituted are placed beaol ' tramway tracks, buffers A may In order to prevent .the deterio-rationspro-I' duced by the pressure of wood d lace near the -railse or between ,the rai sv and parallel thereto, as illustratedl 'in Figs. 6

and?. .Buiers may also'be placed in the intermediatespace between -the tracks 'andl in the lon 'tudinaldirection, as. shown by the saine' gums. Other, bufers may also be arranged. transverselyto-the track 'and to 'the intermediatespace between the tracks.

Instead of using' buHers constituted by 'two shells fitting intoone another, as above described, I may use buffers A1- A2', `formed by two chased parts-fitting-'in one another and riveted as shown in Fig.- 8. yThese buffers are applied against the web of the The forms, .details,gaccessories, materials and dimensions ofthe-'above devices may of course var without changing lthe principle ofthe invention.v

laving' on` Claims: I 'i f 4' l. A buffer of the character specified, comprisl'ng two shells oppositely arranged' and fitting one within the other, the cheeks of these shellstted one within'the other' bey ingthus doubled.

prising two shells o positely arranged and fittingone within t e other, the cheeks ofl these shells fitted one withinthe-other be=` ing thus-doubled, the body portion offeneI of thet'read of. the shellshavin'g the shape under surface of arail. fa

The.' fore oing specification of my ar. rangement or .preventing the deterioration of the footpaths andv tramway tracks by the pressure oithe wood paving of roadways,

signed by me this third day of Maly 1910. GEORGES TEEODOEE VALLEE.

vVV-itnesscs: I

B. MASON,

DEAN

I R. EmnIoT.-

A buer (if the character specified,co`m 

